The Seventeenth Kind is a film version of a short story by Michael Marshall Smith: the winner of the Philip K. Dick Award, the August Derleth Award, the International Horror Guild Award, six British Fantasy Awards and the Prix Bob Morane, nominated for five World Fantasy Awards and CWA Silver Dagger — and the only author ever to win the BFS Award for Best Short Story four times.

The story involves actor James who believing his own good press as a TV pitch man on a late night cable channel descends into drugs and laziness on the set. Disappointed by his lack of interest, James is approached by the station manager who wants to replace him with his girlfriend and James’ current demonstrator Melissa. When the day’s product spokesman Rusty arrives, things take an unexpected turn and provides James with a new venue to showcase his presenting skills that is out of this world.

This sci-fi film adaptation is ably directed by Andy Collier and stars a wealth of well-known faces, including Tony Curran (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 24), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who, The Hobbit), model Lucy Pinder, as well as the booming voice of the legendary Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon). A highly entertaining, funny and well-crafted dark comedy doesn’t drag once during the whole thirty minutes.